(NOAH) Event recap - September 29th 2018, Yokohama Radiant Halls (Global Junior League Night 8)

After a long break following their five day marathon of events, Noah were back today as Global Junior League enters its final stages, at Yokohama Radiant Halls. As per all leagues, the trophy was on display today along with the two scoreboards.

The GHC Heavyweight Match signing took place today between Katsuhiko Nakajima and Takashi Sugiura.
Nakajima sat silently with the ever present smirk on his face, which grew bigger and wider when he was urged to say something. He never said anything, and kept an eerie silence.
Sugiura said he wouldn't be smiling on the 4th October, when he got elbows to the face.

Noah drew a stunningly good attendance today, despite the fact that there was an issue with the trains (which Tadasuke got caught up in due to someone having an accident further up the line), and the card was said to be red hot with the fans enthusiastic and roaring. By the third match they were in a position to announce the amazing attendance.
Never believe anyone who tells you that Japanese wrestling crowds are quiet.

Naomichi Marufuji was missing from the event today as he is appearing for WRESTLE-1, he will also be absent tomorrow (30th September) as he will be in Kansai Pro; but he will be back home on the 4th October.

Speaking of Marufuji, his being absent has not prevented himself and Kenoh from having a Twitter war over Kenoh's recent comments in his article this week in "Weekly Pro".
Marufuji basically said that its regrettable that Kenoh thinks that he is using "political power" against him, this is a life he has fought to protect (i.e. Noah), however, he doesn't expect him to understand.
Kenoh, however, is not accepting this and says that it was nowhere written that he was protected by political power in "Weekly Pro", but he will gain power by what he is going to do, and if that power is not fought for, there will be no generational change in the true meaning, and it starts with who you beat.
Marufuji responded (somewhat tiredly), that he is fighting with Kenoh in a lot of ways, and he will not let him get one over him.
As we will see, Marufuji is being attacked on all sides.

The NicoPro static cam was seen, indicating that the event will probably be televised.

Masa Kitamiya was on autograph duty today, and after the show there was a small fan event\drinking party before Noah head off to Saitama for tomorrow's event (card can be found here)

MATCH ONE
RATELS (HAYATA & YO-HEY) vs Hajime Ohara & Junta Miyawaki

HAYATA started off against Ohara (who apparently didn't have any taping today)

Junta Miyawaki put up a good fight, and people are commenting that he is getting better and better, Ohara it seemed wanted to see how he would do without too much input, and after the match was seen crouching next to him and speaking to him.

When it comes to the younger wrestlers on the roster, its Go Shiozaki in the heavyweight division who takes them under his wing and eases them into the division, and its Hajime Ohara who does the equivalent in the junior league when they are ready to pass out of the rookie phase, I think he works with them after Yoshinari Ogawa has finished with them, because Ogawa seems to work with the very green boys.

WINNER: YO-HEY with the Gamen-G on Junta Miyawaki (11 minutes and 54 seconds)

MATCH TWO
"This has become the Inamura educational match, but his fighting spirit does not fail"

Akitoshi Saito, Hi69 & Yoshinari Ogawa vs Tadasuke, Masao Inoue & Yoshiki Inamura

Hi69 and Yoshiki Inamura started off the match (after Inamura had been compelled by Tadasuke to do his entry with him).

Hi69 has really changed his look (something he had said was his New Years resolution) he has lost weight, changed his ring wear (kind of), grown a beard and changed his hair, and is looking the best he has for a long time.

Inamura put up a good fight today, but it was only ever going to end one way

WINNER: Akitoshi Saito with the lariat on Yoshiki Inamura (31 minutes and 31 seconds)

MATCH THREE
Go Shiozaki, Kaito Kiyomiya & Atsushi Kotoge vs The Hooligans (Maybach Taniguchi, Mitsuya Nagai and Cody Hall)

Last night Atsushi Kotoge had dinner with Kaito Kiyomiya and Go Shiozaki, or as he called them "my father and my younger brother" (which seems pretty apt). I guess you could call Go Shiozaki the senior of the Super New Generation Army, as he would be with the veterans if it wasn't for Kiyomiya needing his input.

Mitsuya Nagai debuted new clothing today, he seems to have gotten rid of the Resident Evil 4 look, and gone for a thug mode of menacing knee length leather jacket. Another person who has changed his appearance, and the crowd found it just as scary, is Cody Hall who has put on a lot of muscle mass.
Then Atsushi Kotoge appeared and ran round the ring like a lunatic in his yellow cape, making Nagai complain about him to the ref when he got into the ring. The Hooligans were further not amused by Go Shiozaki later wrapping Kotoge's cloak around Nagai.

Right from the first moment the crowd were excited for this match with Cody Hall & Kaito Kiyomiya starting things off and then in usual Hooligans style, the brawl outside the ring, with Kotoge calling Nagai a "villain​"
Kotoge also has a new catchphrase which is roughly translated as "I got you!" (which the crowd chant along with when he says it, not quite sure when he says it though)

This was a hard brawl and chaotic match, with Kotoge telling Shiozaki to "use me" to throw him on to Tanaguchi, although it did him little good.


WINNER: Maybach Taniguchi with the Hooligan Bomb on Atsushi Kotoge (15 minutes and 39 seconds)

Naomichi Marufuji may have been absent from the event today, but that doesn't mean to say that he wasn't kept informed about what was going on.
Regarding the win of The Hooligans today (although it was against his enemies in the Super New Generation Army) he said that he is going to finish this nonsense of theirs on the 4th October (which is the next time he will be back in Noah) at Korakuen Hall.

"Please come like this. Bald octopus and his two boys. I have said it already, but I will end this".

MATCH FOUR
"Tremendous sense of tension"

Takashi Sugiura, 50 Funky Powers (Mohammed Yone & Quiet Storm) vs Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kenoh & Masa Kitamiya

Poor Sugiura had to team with two guys whose gimmick is disco, when he doesn't even like the genre. And naturally as there was no Marufuji today to deflect Kenoh, he got it from both Kenoh and Nakajima.

Smirking Nakajima and Sugi faced off first of all, and it was noticed that Nakajima's left thigh was heavily taped. However, this didn't deter Nakajima from kicking Mohammed Yone's afro, and laughing.

Afterwards, Nakajima posed outside the ring,  as the veterans were obliterated by the young, and Yokohama Radiant Halls went insane.

WINNER: Kenoh with the diving footstomp on Quiet Storm (15 minutes and 18 seconds)

MATCH FIVE
GLOBAL JNR LEAGUE
Hitoshi Kumano vs Seiya Morohashi

Not too much to report I am afraid, the crowd tired after the last two matches and gearing up for the main event.

Seiya Morohashi managed to deliver a somewhat dangerous Lyger Bomb on Hitoshi Kumano, but sadly it was not to be enough, Hitoshi Kumano picked up the win with the Argentine Backbreaker and advances with six points which puts him in the top bracket of Global Junior League.


WINNER: Hitoshi Kumano with the Argentine Backbreaker (11 minutes and 52 seconds)

MATCH SIX
GLOBAL JNR LEAGUE
"The Junior legends clash on Noah's mat"

Minoru Tanaka vs Ikuto Hidaka

Minoru Tanaka was taped up today, and not moving easily, but despite all of that, and like all expectations, this match could only ever be a very technical one. Yokohama Radiant Halls were once again on their feet for the two "junior legends", as Yoshinari Ogawa watched from the curtain...

WINNER: Minoru Tanaka with the reverse Minoru Special (12 minutes and 38 seconds)

MATCH SEVEN
GLOBAL JNR LEAGUE
Daisuke Harada vs Kotaro Suzuki

This is the first singles match between Daisuke Harada and Kotaro Suzuki, they have clashed before, but never in a one on one match, and as a result due to everything that had gone before with Suzuki saying that everyone in Noah Juniors were weak compared to his day (even the freelancers, but naturally excluding Ogawa from that statement who would have taken him back to school), and Daisuke Harada naturally taking exception to it and rallying the troops, was tense, and I mean mega tense.

Vicious elbows from Kotaro Suzuki which knocked Daisuke Harada to the floor, however, he came back at Misawa's old student with the rolling elbow. This is kind of the equivalent of when Marufuji warned Kaito Kiyomiya not to try to use the Tiger Suplex on him, or someone using the Kobashi chops on Shiozaki or the Burning Hammer on KENTA.

Hard hitting match, and a usual Daisuke Harada classic, but Kotaro Suzuki prevailed, and got on the microphone and told the crowd (and a fallen Daisuke Harada who he was standing over) that he was going to win the final and "shine up this rusty belt"

His win has caused a huge upset, especially as now he will advance to the finals, his opponent will be decided tomorrow.

WINNER: Kotaro Suzuki with the Blue Destiny Tiger Driver

ATTENDANCE: 361 people in "Overfilled Capacity"


WITH THANKS TO: Abeshin, Koichiro Takeda, Metal-Noah, Naoki, Chiharu, Shishido, Noah GHC, Naomichi Marufuji.